This summer, Josie and Ludi performed in “101 Dalmatians” and “Oklahoma!” with Miss Kathey’s Academy. It was a new experience for the girls, who previously had been in several Christmas shows, but not Broadway-style musicals.
I asked the girls what they thought of the shows.
“In ‘101 Dalmatians,’ I was I was the oldest puppy, Patch. I got to talk,” Josie said. Asked how she prepared for the role of a puppy when her family doesn’t own a dog, Josie said, “I observed miss Kathey’s dog. We all did!”
Josie said that her preparations for “Dalmatians” and “Oklahoma” felt familiar: practicing on weekends, dress rehearsals, etc. But performing in the shows felt different to her than her Christmas experiences because these shows have strong plots and lots of speaking parts.
Ludi played the role of “Nanny” in “101 Dalmatians.” By coincidence, this was the first time that Ludi’s real-life Nanny was in town and able to see the girls’ performances.
Most of the big roles in “Oklahoma!” went to teens and older kids. Ludi was going to be a background performer. But then she got a surprise a few days before the first dress rehearsal. “Miss Kathey told me that I would be doing lifts and partner dancing with Colter,” Ludi said. “I had only two or three days to learn the new routines and songs. In the show, I did a barrel roll, a fan kick, and square dancing.”
Next year, MKA will be putting on “Aladdin.” “I’m going to go full out,” Ludi said.